


Eva Simone & Chester Lake

by OliviaLourde



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27840544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OliviaLourde/pseuds/OliviaLourde
Summary: The beginning of Eva Simone's journey to Law and Order: SVU.





	Eva Simone & Chester Lake

(Eva enters the squad room for her first day at Brooklyn SVU. Her captain sees her and comes straight to her, shaking her hand. She smiles, a little nervously, and her captain gets the attention of all of her new peers. Lake remains oblivious, his head in a case file at his desk.)  
Captain: All right, everyone, listen up! We’ve got some new blood in the squad room. I want you to give her a nice welcome. This is Detective Eva Simone, fresh out of a year in Vice. She’s here to catch some rapists with us for a good long while. Show her some compassion, she’s Lake’s new partner.   
(Everyone begins snickering, for Lake is the black sheep of the unit. He does not work well with others, nor is he even paying attention now; he still has his head buried in a stack of files. She looks over at him, watching him. Everyone else gets up to shake her hand, and she introduces herself warmly. She clearly has a guard up, but most cops do. Finally, she makes her way up to Lake. She stands in front of his desk until he notices and looks up. He stares at her with no expression for a long minute. She can’t help but notice that, though he has his character flaws, he is physically beautiful.)  
Lake: Can I help you, miss? Do you need to make a report?  
Eva: I’m your new partner.  
(Lake laughs, a genuine belly laugh. She looks confused.)  
Lake: I don’t recall asking for a new partner, or for one at all. I work alone.  
(The captain steps in.)  
Captain: You have one now, Lake, and you’ll learn to work with her. She’s better than you are and you could stand to learn a thing or two from her.  
Lake: If she’s so good, then how come she needs a partner at all?  
Eva: Maybe I need one to teach me how to walk around with a stick up my ass and a chip on my shoulder the way you do.  
(Lake is startled; apparently no one talks to him that way, but he is also surprised that he finds himself more attracted to her as a result. He gives her an accepting half-smile and stands up, moving his desk so that she can get to her new one. She moves past him, and the captain walks away. Lake resumes his work as Eva figures out her desk.)  
Lake: So where did you transfer in from?  
Eva: Vice. Were you not listening at all?  
Lake: No offense, but I didn’t even notice you were in the room until you were standing in front of me.   
Eva: Oh.  
Lake: Don’t be offended, I’m pretty indiscriminate with choosing to ignore people.  
Eva: I think I can decide for myself whether I’m offended or not. I didn’t expect anything grand anyway.  
Lake: Suit yourself, then.  
(He backs off to allow her to become accustomed to her new surroundings, smiling at her. He’s genuinely attracted to her, but he’ll never show it.)

(Eva comes in the next morning to a single flower sitting on her desk, no note, no clues as to who or where it came from. She picks it up and smells it, smiling a little to herself, though aloof of its origins. Lake comes in, looking over at her casually.)  
Lake: Who gave you the flower?  
Eva: Beats me. You see anyone lurking around my desk, let me know.  
Lake: Yeah, sure.   
(They sit down, quiet for a moment. Lake looks up like he is about to tell her something, but thinks better of it. She never notices. Finally, he turns around.)  
Lake: You ready to do some field work today? I’m trying to track down this serial, and I think he’s moved into Manhattan.  
Eva: Sounds good.

(Eva and Lake are about to visit someone they believe to be a rapist. Eva is not overzealous or even ramped up.)  
Lake: You okay? Most newbies come in ready to make like Rambo. You’re cool as a cucumber.   
Eva: Vice beat that out of me.  
Lake: Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting you came from Vice. Were you undercover?  
Eva: I was before and during Vice. For two years. I dealt with some sexual assault victims while undercover.  
Lake: What was your assignment?  
Eva: Hunting down a drug dealer. He liked mysterious women. I played mysterious VERY well.  
Lake: You’ve had a lot of practice?  
Eva: Who cares?  
Lake: I do. If you’re going to be my partner, you can’t keep secrets from me.  
Eva: Just like you’re keeping the fact that you requested my transfer a secret?  
(Lake is silent, though he looks remorseful. The door opens, and the suspect himself is at the door. Eva smiles congenially.)  
Eva: We’re detectives, Brooklyn SVU. Do you mind if we come in and ask you a few questions?  
(Sounds in the background startle the suspect. He leans in.)  
Suspect: Now isn’t the best time.  
Lake: Well, we can do this here, now, or you can come down to the station with us for questioning. Your choice, but make it quick.  
(Suspect opens the door. Lake begins to walk in first, but the suspect then slams the door into his face, hard enough to knock him out. The suspect then runs for it, heading to the fire escape. Eva calls for backup and gives chase. She nearly leaps down the fire escape, catching him in a tackle that would have made a linebacker jealous. He continues to struggle, but she manages to pin his head down with one hand and his arms with another. Within seconds, she has him handcuffed and yanks him up from the pavement.)  
Eva: Looks like we’re doing it our way, huh?  
Suspect: You got nothin’ on me!  
Eva: Because fleeing the cops doesn’t make you look guilty.  
(Backup arrives, and Eva heads back into the building to find Chester. She finds him just coming to, and she helps him sit up.)  
Lake: What happened?  
Eva: Suspect hit you with the door as you were on your way in. He made a run, I got him just downstairs. Let’s get you checked out, okay? You could have a head injury.  
(Lake begins to stand, gets woozy, and collapses into Eva’s arms. Her grip on him is strong, and she helps him outside. He clings to her, and his vulnerability is obvious to both of them. He looks at her, and she meets his gaze. They head out the doors to the building, and Lake covers his eyes from the bright sunlight. A few of their colleagues are downstairs.)  
Detective 1: Is he okay?  
Eva: He took a hit to the head. I gotta get him to the ER. Keep that suspect on ice till we get back.   
Lake: I’m not going to the ER.  
Eva: The hell you’re not. Get in the backseat, moron, you’re bleeding.   
(Lake touches the wound on his head and sees his own blood. He allows Eva to help him into the backseat of their car, and she jumps into the front seat. She notices in the rearview mirror that he is woozy and barely coherent.)  
Lake: I didn’t request your transfer for the reasons you think.  
Eva: Try not to talk right now. You’re probably concussed.   
Lake: I did it because… Because…  
(He is unconscious. Eva reaches back to squeeze his leg and shake him to wake him up as she pulls into the hospital. She leaves the car running with the doors open, carrying him inside.)  
Eva: I need a doctor! I’m a police officer! My partner needs medical attention!  
(A doctor and some nurses come running, and they take him to a bed immediately to begin working on him. Eva stands outside the room, watching them work. She realizes for the first time, that she is REALLY attracted to him. She looks down at her hands, and notices his blood on them. She clenches her fists.)

(The following Monday, Eva enters the squad room. She notices a flower and a small box on her desk. She opens the box, it is a little light up figurine. Even more puzzled than before, she looks around, but only Lake is at his desk so far.)  
Eva: How cute! How does this guy know what I like?!  
Lake: Looks like another souvenir from your secret admirer, huh?  
Eva: I’m getting a little irritated that no one sees this guy leaving this stuff. You’re always here and you never see this stuff just magically show up? This is a police station.  
Lake: Nope. I’d notice someone lurking at your desk, though. It’s within range for me to notice.   
Eva: Damnit.   
(Eva walks off, annoyed. Lake pulls the receipt for the figurine out of his pocket, and locks it into his desk.)

(Lake arrives early at Eva’s apartment to pick her up for a work road trip. He knocks on her door, and she opens it in only a towel, her hair just blow dried. Lake, though taken off guard, is thrilled.)  
Eva: Come in, I’m almost ready.  
(Lake enters her apartment, on the first floor of a gorgeous brownstone near the Brooklyn waterfront. Her apartment is huge, and he nearly follows her into her bedroom before he stops himself. He sits down on her couch, eyeing her massive tv.)  
Lake: Sorry I was early. You know I don’t sleep much.  
Eva: It’s fine, I was up early anyway. Started reading the case files and lost track of time. I’ll be ready in a second. Help yourself to some coffee or anything in the kitchen if you’re hungry.  
(Lake looks around her apartment, noticing its size, and then seeing the entrance to the kitchen.)  
Lake: You have a huge place. Just you?  
Eva: Yeah. I like the space though. Only place I’ve lived since I moved here years ago.   
Lake: Where are you from?  
Eva: The South. I moved here for college and then went straight into the academy.  
Lake: You miss it?  
Eva: The academy?  
Lake: The South.  
Eva: No. I love it here.   
Lake: Even with me as your partner?  
Eva: You’re not so bad. Even if the request for my transfer didn’t go through. You mad that you’re stuck with me?  
(Lake leans over to peer in the bedroom. He sees Eva, in nothing but a bra and underwear, her back to him. He feels his heart rate spike as she bends over her drawer to pull clothes out. He jerks his head away before she has a chance to notice him. He pours himself a cup of coffee and opens her fridge, noticing almond milk instead of regular milk.)  
Lake: You lactose intolerant?  
Eva: Yep. Doesn’t stop me from eating pizza, though. I take Lactaid.   
(Eva comes out of the bedroom fully dressed, in makeup, hair flawlessly done. Lake looks shocked.)  
Lake: That was quick.  
Eva: I told you. We can get that coffee to go. Here.  
(She pours his coffee into a thermos to-go type cup, and they are ready to go.)  
Lake: Thought I was going to have to wait half an hour.  
Eva: I’m really not like other women.  
Lake: I’m learning that.

(A year later, Eva and Chester are doing a sting operation to catch a serial rapist. Eva is dressed as a socialite- a little slutty, with intense makeup. She is pretending to be ditzy and a little tipsy. Their target has taken their bait and brought Eva back to his place. As soon as the door closes, he slaps Eva across the face and grabs her arm, dragging her to the bedroom.)  
Eva: Whoa, whoa, slow down, sugar, you’ll get what you want. Just hold on-  
Rapist: Shut up, whore!  
(He slaps her across the face, tearing her clothes off, revealing that she went high end all the way down to her lingerie. He drops his pants, nearly ejaculating across her face. He pins her down as she fights him. BSVU squad breaks down the door, saving her. Lake is the first person in, and upon seeing her about to be raped, his emotions kick into overdrive. Chester instantly punches the guy in the face, knocking him down. Then, he turns and grabs Eva, pulling a blanket around her.)  
Lake: Simone! Are you okay?  
Eva: Much better now.   
(He looks down at her body, eyeing the lingerie. She catches him looking, and when their eyes meet, they share a knowing look.)  
Lake: Let’s get you out of here and get you cleaned up.

(Eva, in her regular clothes, is sitting at a table in an old school pizzeria with Lake. They are each devouring their own pies and watching the other person carefully. He stops suddenly, wiping his hands on a napkin. He pulls a gift out of his pocket and hands it to her.)  
Lake: This was left for you earlier today. I grabbed it when I ran back to the station while you were getting checked out in the hospital. I know the little gifts kinda make you happy, so I figured you could use a little happiness after tonight.  
Eva: Thanks. I’ve gotten used to these non-creepy gifts. I hope one day I find just who’s been sending them. They always somehow know just what I like.  
(Eva opens this one up; it is a can of pepper spray and a taser. She giggles, though by now she has an idea that Lake could be the admirer.)  
Lake: What is it this time?  
Eva: Pepper spray and a taser.   
(Lake laughs, then sobers. He stares at her for a long moment as she digs into the pizza again. He smiles, throwing all caution to the wind.)   
Lake: You know… all those little gifts and flowers? They’re actually from me. I started leaving them for you right after you started here.   
(Eva freezes mid-slice.)  
Eva: They were?  
Lake: By now, you’ve noticed that I’m not a people person. I’ve never been particularly smooth with women, but with you, it’s easy. Talking to you is so simple for me. I’ve been attracted to you since the day I met you. The gifts were my way of trying to be nice, but I guess it would have been better if you’d known they were from me.  
Eva: Do you want to go back to my place?   
Lake: Yeah.

(Eva lets them both in, a little nervously. She fumbles with her keys, and Lake puts his hands over hers gently. He leans from behind her, kissing her neck and caressing her hands. She opens the door and they spill into her apartment. She locks the door behind her. She turns around and he comes very close to her, breathing her in. She is unafraid.)  
Lake: Do you have any idea what you’re doing?  
Eva: No.  
(She kisses him passionately on the lips. It is intense, powerful, and it escalates. She grabs him by the hair, heading toward the bedroom, still kissing him. He picks her up and she wraps her legs around him. She yanks his shirt off, finally getting to run her hands over his chest. They land on the bed, and he pulls her shirt off.)

(Lake wakes up, naked, in Eva’s bed. Eva is just finishing getting dressed. He turns over on his side, watching her.)  
Eva: Our secret?  
Lake(getting up, taking her in his arms and smiling): I don’t want to share this with anyone. I waited a year to finally be able to show you how I feel.  
Eva: What happened that you finally could?  
Lake: You saw me. I know you saw my face when I broke down that door yesterday. I was willing to rip off that guy’s face to save you. I knew something was going to change when I walked in that door.  
Eva: I’ve been attracted to you ever since I met you. Something about you, just… I don’t know. I wanted you and I barely even knew you. I felt safe around you. It’s why I stayed instead of pushing for my transfer.   
Lake: I wanted you transferred because I didn’t know how to handle looking at you every day and knowing I couldn’t have you. Had nothing to do with you personally. I knew I would like you when you snapped at me. I’ve always liked a strong woman.  
Eva: You’re the first guy I’ve met in this city that I’ve really liked.   
Lake: You’re gorgeous. I bet guys have lined up around the block for you.  
Eva: You see my block? Line free. I have never liked anyone as much as I like you.  
Lake: So we’re on the same page?  
Eva: What page is that?  
Lake: We’re together, in secret, because of our job. We care about each other. It’s not just about the sex… although, if it was, who could blame us? It’s fantastic.  
(Eva blushes a little. She smiles, kissing him.)  
Eva: Get ready for work. I’ll see you there.  
(She leaves the apartment, tossing her keys on the bed. Lake showers, reveling in the previous night. He is nearly giddy. He dresses quickly and leaves, locking the door behind him.)

(The desk clerk approaches Eva. He is afraid of her, so he treads softly. She looks up when she sees him.)  
Eva: Yes?  
Clerk: You have a visitor. He’s downstairs. Should I send him up?  
(Eva is thrown off. She usually doesn’t get visitors who don’t come up.)  
Eva: I’ll go down and see him. He give a name?  
Clerk: No.  
Eva: Okay. Go away now.  
(He scurries off and Lake looks at her.)  
Lake: You want me to come with?  
Eva: Nah. I got it.   
(She gets up and heads downstairs. When the elevator opens, she freezes in rage. Her brother, one of her abusers, stands in the center of the lobby, smiling at her. He walks up to her instantly.)  
Mario: Don’t freak out, Eva. I’m not going to hurt you.  
Eva: You’re right about that.   
Mario: I needed to see you.  
Eva: About what? What could you possibly have to talk to me about? Our childhood and its many heartwarming memories?  
Mario: I’m not that guy anymore.   
Eva: You should probably leave.   
Mario: You’re not listening to me.  
Eva: Why would I?  
Mario: Look, come have lunch with me. I’ll show you. I got into therapy. I haven’t hurt anyone in years. Danny, Jack… they’re animals and they’re in prison now. None of us can hurt you. We did terrible things to you, Eva. Just talk to me. I’m your brother.  
Eva: Brother is a seriously strong term and I’m not sure it applies here.   
(Lake appears behind Eva. His protective nature is shining through, and he is doing little to hide it.)  
Lake: Eva? Everything okay?  
Eva: Chester, this is my brother, Mario. He is responsible for the joys of my childhood.  
(Lake’s protectiveness becomes aggressive. He steps between the two of them menacingly.)  
Lake: I think it’d be best for everyone if you left, buddy. Get lost.  
Mario: I need to speak to my sister. It’s about our father. He’s dead.  
(Lake takes a step back, not willing to interfere in family business.)  
Eva: That’s unfortunate for him. But he wasn’t MY father. He was yours, and barely one at that.  
Mario: I know. I don’t want to be like him, Eva. I got help. I haven’t hurt anyone in years. Please. Just talk to me.  
(Eva is intrigued. She steps toward Mario. Lake grabs her wrist.)  
Lake: What are you doing?  
Eva: It’ll be fine, Ches.  
Lake: Eva, he raped you.  
Eva: Let me handle it.   
Lake: Eva. Please. I don’t want you to get hurt. You know how rapists are. They don’t change, Eva. Honey, I love you. Please listen to me.   
Eva: I have a gun, Ches. I can handle it.   
Lake: I don’t trust him. You shouldn’t either.  
(Eva starts to walk away.)  
Eva: I’ll be fine. I’ll call you.  
(Lake watches her leave with her brother. After wrestling with it internally, he decides to follow discreetly.)

(Lake watches them chat over lunch, very suspecting of Mario. Eva seems to buy his act, but Lake sees through it. Every time Eva turns her head or isn’t looking at Mario, he is glaring at her. Lake remains attentive as they pay their bill and leave.)

(Eva unlocks the door to her apartment, letting Mario in. The door no sooner closes than Mario hits Eva in the back of the head, knocking her down. Lake, seeing through the window, pulls out his keys and makes his way inside. Mario lands on top of Eva, yanking her pants to her ankles, sliding her gun across the floor. She begins to come to as he unzips himself. She lands a punch in his face, but he has the advantage of being on top of her. He punches her repeatedly as Lake slips into the apartment silently.)  
Eva: Get off me!  
Mario: You have this coming, you stupid whore! Did you think we wouldn’t find you after all these years?!  
(Lake gets angry at his words and hits him from behind with his gun. Mario stands, tackling Lake, taking him by surprise. They proceed to wrestle, Lake dropping his gun. Eva looks for hers in its regular holster, but she can’t find it. She begins prying her pants away from her ankle holster, but the pants are stuck. Finally, she yanks it free, just as Mario is about to knock Lake out with a punch. In a split second, Eva and Mario make eye contact as she takes aim and plants a bullet right between his eyes. He drops to the floor, it is over. Lake is lying on the floor, splattered in Mario’s blood. Eva drops to her knees, grabbing him by the face.)  
Eva: Are you okay? Did he hurt you badly? Ches? Talk to me.  
(Lake puts his hands on her cheeks, holding her tight. He looks into her eyes.)  
Lake: You gotta call for backup.   
(Eva looks around her apartment, and she begins to shake.)

(IAB has arrived to question them both, and CSU shows them evidence that they live together. IAB is NOT pleased. Unfortunately, Eva has collapsed from internal bleeding, given to her when Mario gave her the beating. She is taken away in an ambulance, and Lake is also loaded into an ambulance.)

(Eva wakes up in the hospital a day later. Only Lake is present, a nasty black eye and a bruise on his face. Eva remembers for the most part.)  
Eva: Ches. Are you okay?  
Lake: I’ll survive. They said you have to go in for surgery today. Your brother gave you internal bleeding.   
Eva: How was the aftermath?  
Lake: The brass found out about us. I’ve been transferred as soon as I’m cleared of everything. 1PP wants to crucify us. They can’t believe we did it right under everyone’s noses for six years.   
Eva: What’s going to happen to me?  
Lake: My guess is that you lost your promotion. They didn’t discuss that with me.   
Eva: Wow. I’m sorry you got transferred.   
Lake: Your career just took a huge hit. Don’t worry about me. We’ll get through this.   
Eva: I’m so sorry, Ches. At least we still have each other, right?


End file.
